Pakistan votes: Key moments of a turbulent past

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Imran Khan, head of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party, leaves the hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, on Wednesday, May 22. Khan suffered spinal fractures and a head injury when he toppled from a forklift that was raising him up to a stage as he campaigned in Lahore for elections held on May 11. Victory in the elections went to Nawaz Sharif, a two-time former prime minister, and his party, the Pakistan Muslim League.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Pakistani supporters of Imran Khan take part in a protest on Monday, May 20, against the killing of Zohra Hussain in Karachi. Hussain, a politician who had alleged vote-rigging in the May 11 elections, was shot dead on Saturday, May 18. There was a re-poll on Sunday, May 19, after accusations of vote-rigging.

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Voters and army troops gather outside a polling station during a revote in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday, May 19. A new vote was ordered after allegations of vote rigging in the May 11 elections, which former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party appears to have won.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – A Pakistani woman casts her ballot in Karachi on May 19.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Members of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party mourn the death of Zahra Shahid Hussain, vice president of the party, outside a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, on Saturday, May 18. Hussain had alleged vote-rigging in the May 11 elections.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Pakistani rescuers carry Hussain's body on May 18 after she was killed in what was described as an execution-style attack.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Pakistani tanks deploy near a voting station on May 18 ahead of a new vote in Karachi, where complaints of rigging and irregularities were reported in the general election May 11. The army is set to be deployed at 43 polling stations ahead of voting on May 19, a media report said.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Female supporters of Pakistani Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif offer special prayers for the victory of their party in Peshawar on Friday, May 17.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Supporters of politician Imran Khan shout slogans over allegations of election fraud during a protest in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on Monday, May 13.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Supporters of Nawaz Sharif dance and eat sweets as they celebrate the party's win in Lahore on Wednesday, May 15.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Khan's supporters stage a protest in Karachi on Sunday. Khan said his party would submit a report on alleged vote-rigging.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Supporters of Imran Khan shout slogans during a protest on May 12. Across the country, 29 people were killed in Election Day violence on May 11.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Khan supporters carry their party flags in a rally in Rawalpindi on May 12.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Supporters of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif's party, celebrate election results in front of a party office in Lahore on election night, Saturday, May 11.

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Soldiers cordon off the site of a bomb explosion in Karachi on Saturday, May 11. Four blasts hit Karachi as people voted, causing 14 deaths and dozens of injuries.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – A bomb disposal expert examines the site of a detonation in Karachi, Pakistan on May 11.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Men move a stretcher carrying an injured man at a hospital, following a bomb explosion in Karachi, Pakistan on May 11.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Volunteers move an injured boy to a hospital following a bomb explosion in Karachi on May 11.

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Election officials count ballot papers at the end of polling in Quetta, Pakistan on May 11.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Pakistani supporters of Islamic party Jammat-e-Islami stage a protest in front of a provincial election commission office in Karachi on May 11.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Voters line up for their turn to vote as gaurds stand watch at a polling station in Karachi on May 11.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – A Pakistani election official marks a voter's thumb at a polling station during the general election in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on May 11.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Pakistani women jostle to receive their ballot papers prior to casting their ballot at a polling station on May 11, in the Old City of Lahore, Pakistan.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Voters in Rawalpindi gather around an election presiding officer to cast their ballots on May 11, 2013.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Pakistani voters queue for their turn to cast their ballots outside a polling station in Karachi on May 11, 2013.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Pakistani army soldiers stand guard outside a distribution center for election materials in Karachi on May 10, 2013. The nation's military will have 75,000 troops out around the country.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Supporters of former PM Nawaz Sharif turned out for one final rally in Lahore ahead of Pakistan's parliamentary elections on May 11. It's the first time in the country's history that an elected government will take over from another elected administration.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Another frontrunner for prime minister, Imran Khan, has been campaigning from his hospital bed after he was injured falling from a lift at a campaign rally on May 7.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Khan, a charismatic former cricketer, has proved a popular candidate among Pakistan's young, urban middle class.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Politics is a bloody affair in Pakistan, and this leadership struggle is no exception. Dozens have been killed in attacks in the weeks leading up to Saturday's election.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – The most deadly attack, an explosion during a rally in the Kurram tribal district on May 6, killed 18 people and wounded 55.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Ali Haider Gilani, a son of former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, was kidnapped by gunmen while canvassing for votes in Multan on the final day of campaigning.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – The leader of the Pakistan People's Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has been absent from rallies in the lead-up to the elections. The 24-year old, who became chairman after his mother, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated, is not yet old enough to run for parliament.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – Former president Pervez Musharraf announced plans to run in the elections after returning from exile last month, but was disqualified from the race amid claims he illegally placed senior judges under house arrest during his rule.

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Photos:Photos: High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections

High turnout, violence mark Pakistan elections – For the first time, women in tribal regions are running for office. 43-year-old Nusrat Begum is challenging the Taliban for a seat in Lower Dir.

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Story highlights

Pakistan is poised for its first democratic transition of power in its 66-year history

Scores have been killed in campaign violence leading to this weekend's election

The government has lurched from crisis to crisis in the past five years

Politics can be a blood-soaked affair in Pakistan, and this leadership struggle is no exception. Dozens have been killed in attacks in the weeks leading up to this Saturday's election.

And yet, this poll is expected to mark a milestone in Pakistan's 66-year history: The first democratic transition of power. The nation has experienced three military coups, been ruled by generals for half its life, and it remains mired in near-constant political turmoil.

But the former government defied expectations by becoming the first elected to serve a full five-year term.

"Despite all the odds, completion of the term is an extraordinary and historic achievement," Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said in an address to the nation on March 16, marking the end of the term and the start of the election season now coming to an end.

The government may have survived, but the country has lurched from crisis to crisis.

Here are some of the main developments from the last five years of political turmoil.

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The nation collectively mourns the death of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, who is assassinated just months before the elections in February 2008. The Pakistan Peoples Party -- led by Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari -- comes to power on the back of a populace disillusioned with then-President Perez Musharraf. He leads a coalition with Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League party, however the alliance collapses when Sharif pulls out after failed efforts to secure the release of dozens of judges put under house arrest by President Musharraf during a state of emergency in 2007.

In August of the same year, Musharraf resigns as president, clearing the way for Zardari to take over the post.

2011

On May 2, U.S. President Barack Obama announces the killing of Osama Bin Laden, who was living in hiding at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The incident underlines the often fractious relationship Washington has with Islamabad, whose leaders had long said Bin Laden was not hiding in Pakistan. Pakistan's parliament adopts a resolution condemning the U.S. raid and Musharraf brands it a "act of war."

In October, Pakistani businessman Mansoor Ijaz claims in an op-ed piece for the UK-based Financial Times that a Pakistani diplomat had him deliver a secret memo to U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen, who was then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The memo, allegedly from Zardari, reportedly asked the U.S. to back him in the event of a military coup related to the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden. The government said it had nothing to do with the memo.

In December, Pakistan's Supreme Court appoints a panel to investigate the memo.

2012

In February, Yousuf Raza Gilani becomes the first Pakistani prime minister to be charged while in office. He's accused of contempt for refusing to re-open old corruption cases against Zardari.

Two months later, Gilani is convicted and receives a symbolic sentence of custody for the duration of the hearing. He refuses to resign and vows to appeal.

In June, Pakistan's Supreme Court rules that Gilani is ineligible to hold office. The court declares the prime minister disqualified retroactive to April 26. Raja Pervez Ashraf is appointed prime minister after majority vote in parliament.

Later in the year, the Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility for a series of attacks on Shiite Muslims. In the months ahead, militants stage further attacks against Shiites in an attempt to disrupt the election.

2013

In January, the Supreme Court orders the arrest of Ashraf over corruption allegations which one of his advisers calls a "soft coup" against democracy. Ashraf denies the claims.

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In March, a caretaker government is appointed to oversee parliamentary elections.

March 24 -- Musharraf lands in Karachi after more than four years in exile. He faces criminal charges, and the Taliban vow to unleash a "death squad" to assassinate him.

He returns to face a lengthy list of charges, including accusations he illegally deposed and detained 62 senior judges during a period of emergency rule in 2007, and not doing enough to protect the life of Bhutto, the country's first woman to be elected prime minister of Pakistan. He denies any wrongdoing.

April 11 -- A candidate in May's 2013 national elections in Pakistan is shot and killed by two gunmen on a motorbike. Candidate Fakhar Ul Islam was targeted on his way home from his office, police said. Islam was a member of Muttahida Quami Movement or MQM, Pakistan's most liberal and secular political party.

April 12 -- Musharraf acknowledges his government secretly signed off on U.S. drone strikes, the first time a top past or present Pakistani official has admitted publicly to such a deal. His admission to CNN runs counter to their repeated denunciations of a program they long claimed the United States was operating without their approval.

April 16 -- At least 15 people in Peshawar are killed and 35 people injured in a suicide bombing targeting an anti-Taliban political party, hospital and police officials said. A bomber blows himself up when Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, senior vice president of the Awami National Party, gets out of a car. Bilour's driver and two police officials were killed.

Meanwhile, Musharraf's comeback hits the skids when election officials bar him from running for a parliamentary seat. He had been disqualified because he declared a state of emergency in 2007. Even though he hasn't been tried for that action, the move has been ruled an act of treason, making him ineligible to run for office.

April 26 -- An explosion in Karachi, Pakistan, kills at least eight people and injured more than 20, Karachi authorities said. The target of the blast was a meeting the Awami National Party, an anti-Taliban liberal political party.

April 28 -- Five people die and 22 are wounded by an explosion in Orakzai, police said. In Peshawar, three people are killed and eight wounded, police said. Both attacks target independent candidates.

April 29 -- A man on a motorcycle detonates explosives near a police van in northwest Pakistan, killing at least six people and wounding more than 30, police said. The explosion took place on a busy road in the city of Peshawar.

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April 30 -- Gunmen kill a political candidate and three other people. During the attack in Balochistan province, men fire on a vehicle carrying Fateh Muhammad Magsi, an independent candidate, police said.

A court in Pakistan bans Musharraf from politics for life. The move -- which can be appealed -- is another barrier in the road Musharraf faces as he tries to get back into his country's political mix.

May 3 -- Gunmen in Pakistan kill a leading prosecutor working on high-profile terrorism cases and an anti-Taliban politician and his son. Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was heading to a court in Rawalpindi, where he was trying a case stemming from the death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated while she was campaigning for her party in 2007.

In Karachi, gunmen on a motorbike shoot and kill Sadiq Zaman Khattak and his 4-year-old son as they leave a mosque, said Zahid Khan of Awami National Party, an anti-Taliban liberal party.

May 5 -- Three people are killed and more than 30 injured in back-to-back explosions near the headquarters of an anti-Taliban political party in Karachi. The explosions, about 30 minutes apart, take place near the headquarters of Muttahida Quami Movement. One device is placed in a rickshaw, police said. The second is buried in the ground.

May 7 -- A blast near a political rally leaves 18 people dead in a Pakistan tribal region, a local government official said. The explosion occurs during a rally staged by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal Ur Rehman group, a right-wing religious party with sympathies for the militant Taliban movement.

In Lahore, former cricket star Imran Khan, running for prime minister, was injured when he fell off a stage during a political rally for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party - throwing even more uncertainty into Saturday's race. He continues to campaign from his hospital bed as doctors say he's expected to make a full recovery.

At least 16 people are killed in two attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province; one attack targeted a Pakistan People's Party rally, and the other targeted a candidate for the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal Ur Rehman group, police said.

May 9 -- Ali Haider Gilani -- son of former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani -- is kidnapped on his way to address a public meeting in the city of Multan. His younger brother is running for a seat in the Punjab provincial assembly.